Eat. Live. Enjoy.

It’s a weekday evening and I arrive home from work to find fresh corn, kale, sweet potatoes and a few onions. It doesn’t sound like much but then I realized I could make a combination of my Summer Veggie Succotash and my Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprout Hash. I was NOT prepared for the deliciousness that followed. It honestly tasted like a veggie paella but without the rice! As Scott so eloquently put it “it just clumps together so nicely”!

You can use regular paprika but I highly recommend the spicy kind for this dish – well, for any dish really :).

So I hope you enjoy the ‘clumps’ and flavor of this easy, simple and fresh dish!

Place oil and onion in a saute pan and heat until onions become fragrant. Add in shredded sweet potatoes and cook on medium to high heat (about 5-8 minutes) until potatoes begin to brown.

Meanwhile, cut corn kernels from the cobs: Hold an ear by its stem end in a deep bowl. Use a small sharp knife to cut off the kernels, letting them and the ‘milk’ fall into the bowl. Discard the cobs.

Once potatoes are ready add the corn, beans and spices. Mix well and cook for another 5 or so minutes.

Add kale or spinach and either cover to wilt greens or mix frequently until the greens are wilted.

Spice as needed and serve warm.

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Notes: Feel free to add any additional veggies you’d like. Recipe is shown with tomatoes added in after the sweet potatoes browned but I actually preferred the taste of it the time I made it without tomatoes.

I have to thank Edible Perspective for the inspiration for this one. I got this delightful recipe in my inbox at the perfect time as I had just made my Tortilla-less Poblano Enchiladas and had some leftover enchilada sauce. My only issue is that my little one bedroom SF apartment does not lend itself to grilling… so I had to modify.

Below is a recipe you can use for a delicious gluten and dairy free pizza (or throw some cheese on it if you’d like). I decided to go with a mexican theme because I had the left over sauce, but this would be good with tomato sauce and toppings of choice as well….

I’ve been seeing poblano’s everywhere lately and while I have never cooked with them before, something about them just drew me in! I made a stuffed poblano recipe that needs a little work before it goes on this site and then followed it up with this recipe.

It takes a little work but Scott and I ate this every night for about 4 nights because it makes enough to serve 8. So, on an evening or an afternoon where you have some time, whip this up and enjoy it for the week or freeze and reheat at a later time. We surely were not sick of it by night 4……

I made this last week and was honestly SO excited about it! It is one of those dishes that really feels like it should be unhealthy when you are eating it …but then I realized the only thing in it, other than vegetables, is a small amount of greek yogurt. Seriously, can’t go wrong with that!

I also think this would be great for people (or children) who generally don’t like spaghetti squash because the way it is baked makes the texture a bit different. I cannot wait to make it again :)!

Nothing says summer like a chilled soup…or sweet corn, or fresh tomatoes… so what do you get when you combine all those things? This delicious yellow gazpacho!

I saw this recipe and was immediately drawn to it because 1. I love anything related to Spain. 2. To me it is beautiful and simple, which I am always drawn to 🙂 and 3. Who doesn’t love a little twist on anything traditional, right?!

I get a lot of inspiration from cooking magazines and this is an adapted version of a recipe found in Eating Well. I should let you know that when I looked at it, I decided to make a vinaigrette to toss the dish in as I thought there was no way this would taste good enough or have the right texture but I was VERY pleasantly surprised. The ‘milk’ from the corn and the white beans give it an amazing texture and the spices give it an amazing taste. We had this for dinner last night and gobbled up all the left overs for lunch today. It was phenomenal for both and it looks quite pretty as well….

As we move from Spring towards Summer, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite Summer salads. These are a perfect starter or a side dish for those hot summer nights. Click on the link below the photo to take you to the recipe.

Scott and I hosted a dinner party last week as part of a reunion for some friends that went to Turkey together and also as a birthday celebration for my friend Brittany. We decided that it was the perfect opportunity to test our our recently learned Thai cooking skills :). The real standout of the dinner party was the red curry. We had to modify from what we made in Thailand because we simply couldn’t find all the right ingredients here so this is the version that will likely work for most of you and it was oh so tasty. Serve over rice or with some noodles (or both!) and you are set. Lucky for us, we hosted 7 but made enough food for almost twice that… and the leftovers were just as tasty.

1 cup coconut cream – we were told in Thailand that coconut cream is a must in curries… I will test it out with other types of coconut milk and report back.

1-2 tablespoons red curry paste (can find a vegetarian version if you would like)

1 lb pumpkin, cut into 1 in cubes – any yellow flesh squash will work

1 cup water

½ Tbsp salt

1 red bell pepper, even thinly sliced

2 cups or 1 can baby corn, roughly chopped

3-4 sprigs basil – thai basil if you can find it

Instructions

Pour half of the coconut cream into a pot, over medium heat. Add the red curry paste and mix well. If your mixture starts to splatter too much, turn down the heat. Stir continuously to prevent the bottom from sticking and burning. When the reddish oil starts to form, stir until fragrant.

Add the pumpkin and stir to coat with curry sauce. Add the rest of the coconut cream and water. Season with salt; start at ½ tablespoon and taste. Each curry paste has a different salt content so you really need to taste it. Simmer until the pumpkin is soft, about 15 minutes.

Add sliced red pepper, corn and basil. Turn off the heat. Stir to submerge the basil in hot curry to keep the leaves bright green. The leaves will stay bright green for 10 minutes or so. Serve while hot.

Happy 2013!!! This is a modified version of a soup from Andew Weil, as I found his recipe a bit bland and not hearty enough for my tastes. It has so many health benefits and happens to taste delicious. Just a few of the benefits are listed below:

Sweet Potatoes: They are a good source of Vitamin C and D, which play an important role in digestion, maintaining the skin’s youthful elasticity helping us cope with stress and overall health. Sign me up!

Tumeric: It is a natural liver detoxifier and one of the most potent natural anti-inflammatories available. It also has powerful antioxidant properties that fight cancer-causing free radicals.

Cayenne Pepper: The hotness produced by cayenne is caused by its high concentration of a substance called capsaicin. which has been widely studied for its pain-reducing effects, its cardiovascular benefits, and its ability to fight inflammation.

Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss potato, onion, corn, carrot, garlic, and oil in a large bowl. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on prepared sheet and broil, tossing once halfway through, until browned, about 12 minutes.

Transfer broiled vegetables and stir in zucchini, spices, salt, beans, chilies and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

Once everything is cooked through, stir in coconut milk Place and then transfer 2-4 cups (depending on how thick you like your soup) to a blender and pulse a few times. Pour this mixture back into the original soup pot and stir until mixed evenly.